Start Over
by priceofthunder
Summary: He had broken her heart for the last time. / Santana   Brittany   Rachel friendship. Puckleberry 3
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**(A/N: This is the first fanfic I've ever written so sorry if it's not that great. :D) **

"Rachel, we need to talk," Finn said as they arrived at her car, interrupting her rant about Mr Schuester's latest crazy idea. Glee rehearsal had just ended and Finn was escorting Rachel to her car, as he did after every session.

Rachel turned to her boyfriend of two months curiously. Finn rarely interrupted her when she was talking; he just smiled goofily and nodded along, sometimes making dumb comments. Finn, though kind, patient and supportive, wasn't the brightest.

"I don't really know how to say this," he began awkwardly, removing his hand from her waist. He looked down at the ground, unable to meet her gaze as he mumbled the words, "I think we should take a break."

She looked at him, stunned into speechlessness.

"I mean, these past two months, they've been really great, Rach. They made me realize how awesome, kind and nice you are, but they also made me realize...you're not Quinn."

The words stung like a dagger to her heart.

"You're not popular, pretty or stylish," he said simply, "and I don't really love you. I'm sorry."

As she stared into his warm, brown eyes, she felt the last piece of her heart breaking. She opened her mouth to do anything, say anything, even plead for him to take her back, but he was already gone, walking to his car with quick, jerky movements.

She watched him as he climbed into his car and drove off, not even sparing a single glance to her. She watched as his car pulled out of the school parking lot, disappearing around the corner, taking with him her dream relationship, her dream love, her dream life.

* * *

Santana was chatting with Brittany as they walked to her car, their fingers linked, when she saw them. Finn had a strange look on his face, a mix between embarrassment and apology, and Rachel looked absolutely crushed.

She nudged Brittany lightly and sped up a little, drawing closer so they could overhear. Brittany followed along blindly, unaware of what was happening, until she heard Finn's voice.

"...not pretty, popular or stylish," they heard him saying.

A flash of anger sparked in Santana. No boyfriend had the right to go saying things like that to his girl, regardless of how popular he might be. She was about to storm over there and set him straight but Brittany pulled her back.

They watched as Finn walked off and sped away, leaving a heartbroken Rachel in his wake. They shared a long look before simultaneously heading over to her.

"Rachel?" Brittany said quietly, placing her hand on Rachel's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

When Rachel didn't even reply, they knew it was serious. Rachel Berry never stopped talking. Ever. They crowded around her worriedly. Sure, they weren't the best of friends, but Rachel was still their glee teammate and they'd been getting along better lately.

Rachel's head was down, tears streaming down her face. Brittany immediately wrapped her arms around her in a bear hug. "It's okay," Brittany whispered, patting Rachel's back comfortingly.

Santana stood beside them, surveying the parking lot for any unwelcome witnesses, before joining in the hug awkwardly. She broke apart a minute later, checking her watch. The school would be closing soon.

"Brittany," she barked, the head cheerleader in her taking over, "take my car and drive her to my house. We'll settle this there."

The blonde immediately ushered Rachel towards Santana's bright red Ferrari, still whispering comforting words in her ear.

Santana strode over to Rachel's purple Nissan purposefully. She bent down to study the lock before taking out a piece of wire from her skirt pocket. She picked the lock open with ease, and slid in.

She didn't know exactly what had happened to Rachel, but what she did know was that she was going to fix it, and make Finn pay.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

By the time Brittany pulled up at Santana's house, she was highly worried. Rachel had gone from her strange silence to sobbing hysterics and back to stony silence all in the space of ten minutes. She was currently staring at the dashboard blankly, her eyes glassy.

She only seemed to notice where they were when the car's engine shut off, the beep noise loud in the silence before it.

"Where are we?" she asked in a voice devoid of emotion. She somewhat trusted Brittany but she had never been to or seen this sprawling white mansion before, and didn't quite know what to make of it.

"Santana's house," Brittany replied simply, opening her door and sliding gracefully out of the car.

Stunned, Rachel got out of the car too and followed Brittany up the gravel driveway to the gleaming wooden door. "Why are we here?"

Brittany produced a shiny silver key from her skirt and slid it into the keyhole. "Well," she said, her brow furrowing. Thinking was not one of her strong qualities. "I'm not really sure, but Santana's really good at explaining so I'll let her explain later." She smiled brightly, satisfied with her answer, and pushed open the door.

Santana's house was classy and modern, with cream furnishings and sparkling marble floors. Brittany, seemingly at ease here, grabbed Rachel's hand and pulled her up the stairs into a room which Rachel presumed was Santana's bedroom. "Sit," she instructed firmly, pointing at the bed with one hand while her other hand scrolled through her phone messages. "Santana's almost here."

Perching lightly on the edge of the bed, Rachel blinked owlishly at Brittany. "Um, not to be rude," she said, with the first hint of her usual self, "but why did you bring me here? I understand your concern over Finn's..." She trailed off, studying the floor.

Brittany walked over and sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Rachel, we brought you here to help you. I mean, Finn was a total jerk to you, saying those mean things. So we wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Thank you," Rachel murmured softly.

Santana burst into the room. "Okay, we can start. I'm here," she said, flashing a smirk at the two girls. Her eyes grew troubled as she eyed Rachel's defeated posture. If there was one thing Santana Lopez despised, it was girls who felt sorry for themselves.

"Rachel," she snapped, "Stop pouting. He was a douche to say those things. You're not Quinn, he's right, but why should you be? You're Rachel Berry, the girl with the big voice who talks way too much but is actually kind of a nice person, and deserves better than him."

"Yeah," Brittany added in, "and he was wrong. You're pretty."

Santana rolled her eyes at the blonde before fixing her steely gaze on Rachel, who was finally straightening up. "Look, he hurt you for the last time. You can't forgive him for this one, or go running back to him. So it's time to wake up, face the music and get over him. And we're here to help you do just that."

Rachel looked at the two cheerleaders, her eyes drying up. They were right; she needed to get over him. Finn Hudson had broken her heart for the last time. And he was going to regret it.

Santana pulled out a chair and sat down at her desk.

"Time to think strategy, bitches," she ordered, gesturing for them to join her. Rachel and Brittany scuttled to follow her orders, sitting down on either side of her.

"Firstly," Santana began, "I'd just like to say that even though we were never friends before, Rachel, we are now. There's nothing like a lying douchebag to bring three girls together. So you have to trust us, no matter what we make you do or say."

Rachel eyed the two girls suspiciously. While Brittany seemed much too simple-minded to think of any devious plot, she was a little apprehensive of Santana. "Well," she stalled.

"Don't worry, we won't do anything mean to you. We just want to help you get over Finn and crush him into tiny little pieces," said Brittany cheerily. "Right, Santana?"

"Right," Santana agreed. "Trust us, Berry. We're going to make him regret the day he ever crossed paths with the likes of Rachel Berry, and now, Santana and Brittany too."

Rachel grinned and nodded. Their friendship had come a long way since they first joined Glee and she did trust the two cheerleaders, and together, she realized, the three of them would be a force to be reckoned with.

Santana grabbed a pen from her desk and started writing.

**(A/N: I know it's going a bit slow but it'll pick up soon, promise.) **


	3. Chapter 3

**[A/N: I just wanna say thanks to all those who reviewed and who added me to story / author favorites list. (: It means a lot to me. So thanks :D]**

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* * *

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Chapter 3

_Step One: The New Rachel _

"Are you sure I can do this?"

Rachel stood in her bedroom, surveying her reflection in the mirror. The weekend had been a whirlwind; Santana and Brittany had completely reinvented Rachel Berry. From the now highlighted, wavy brown hair to the tips of her new, black leather boots, she was new. Different. Improved.

"Don't worry, Rach," Brittany said, grinning proudly at Santana's and her protégé. "You look great."

Santana was inspecting her nails, bored. "Can we leave now?" she asked snippily. She glanced up to see the worry etched across Rachel's face and rolled her eyes. "Berry, trust us, you look absolutely stunning. None of the boys, including the douche who dumped your ass, is gonna be able to take their eyes off you."

With a deep breath and another glance at her reflection, Rachel nodded. As she picked up her bag, she looked over her shoulder at Santana. "I highly doubt _that."_

_

* * *

_

"So, I heard you ended things with Berry."

Mike, Matt, Puck and Finn were milling around at his locker, passing their time before class began by staring at the chicks walking by. Mike, who had asked the question, whistled as he saw Tina walking in. She blushed and walked past him.

"Yeah," Finn said weakly. "Things just weren't working out between us." He paused. "Has anyone seen Quinn?"

Puck glared at him, tuning out Matt and Mike's replies. Santana had called him over the weekend to tell him about the breakup, and about the new Rachel. Since they broke up, they'd become friends. They were so similar it was scary. Puck didn't know how he felt about Finn dumping Berry's ass for Quinn again. He knew what it felt like, having always come in second to Finn, and he thought it was a pretty jerky move.

He spied Santana's car pulling into the parking lot and hid his smile. Santana had updated him on the plan; she'd even said he might have a part to play later.

"Hey, isn't that Santana's car?" he said, baiting the boys to look over, just as Santana, Brittany and Rachel pushed open the doors and walked into the school.

Santana and Brittany were on either side of Rachel, in their usual attire; cheerleading uniform and ponytail. They linked hands with Rachel, forming a protective barrier around her. Puck watched as they drew closer, his jaw dropping.

Rachel looked...hot. She was wearing a criminally short black skirt and a bright red halter top which made her eyes even shinier than usual. Her hair, hanging in loose curls over her shoulders, had been highlighted with streaks of reddish brown and blonde, and she looked really, really good.

As they walked by, Santana kinked an eyebrow at him, shooting a questioning glance to Rachel. He smirked and nodded in approval, eyeing Rachel's back as they walked off.

"Whoa," Matt breathed. "Was that..."

"Rachel?" Mike finished, his eyes wide.

"Yeah," Puck said smugly. He didn't know exactly why, but it felt really good to look at Finn's shell-shocked face as he gaped after the girl he'd dumped for not being _pretty. _Deciding to torment Finn a little more, he added, "Dude, you dumped _that?" _

Mike and Matt turned to him incredulously. Finn stiffened. "She wasn't like _that _before," he said defensively. He spied Quinn and hurried off to go talk to her.

Puck shook his head after her. Finn was still dumb as ever. But maybe, Puck thought, as he spied Rachel at her locker, that wasn't such a bad thing for him.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Hey, it's...Rachel, right?"

Rachel glanced up from her notebook. She was in the library; it was free period, reviewing and colour coding her notes. She was surprised to see Ben Allen, one of the jocks, standing over her. His dirty blonde hair flipped over his face, obscuring one eye, and his stormy blue eyes twinkled invitingly.

"Um," Rachel stuttered, "uh, yes, that would be me. Rachel, I am, uh, Rachel." She blushed fiercely and glared at her notebook. "Did you need something?" she tried again, trying to sound breezy but falling flat.

Ben watched as she fumbled with her papers, trying to look busy. He was a star with the ladies. "Are you new?" he asked, leaning against the table she was working at. He winked at her and pulled up a chair. "Cause I don't think I've ever seen you before."

Rachel cringed internally. _Yes, you have,_ she thought. _You threw a slushie in my face two weeks ago. _

"No, I'm not new," she said, her nerves fading, replaced with slight annoyance at this boy, who so clearly thought he could have any girl he wanted with just one wink. "I've actually been here since freshman year. It's Rachel _Berry, _remember?"

She watched with slight disappointment as his both his eyebrows rose, recognition flickering across his handsome features. "Oh," he said, his voice struggling to remain indifferent. He cleared his throat. Rachel noticed his neck turning red and internally rolled her eyes.

"Did you need something, Ben?" she asked again.

"Um," Ben said, slowly getting up from his chair. "Actually, I just remembered...I have something to do. Really important meeting with...Mrs Carls. See ya around, um, Rachel," he stammered quickly before taking his leave, half-running to the exit of the library.

Rachel sighed. She'd had the same thing happen to her five times already. Boys were such tools, sometimes. All of them had come up, tried to play their moves against her, thinking she was a new transfer, then run away when they realized she was Rachel Berry. _Rachel Berry, the nerd, the freak. _

"Why the sadness, Miss Berry?" Kurt asked, appearing as if from thin air. "I must say, I am loving the new look. You look fabulous, if I may say so myself. It's so good, it makes even me feel a tad insecure on my makeover skills. But I'd ditch the sad look."

He elegantly slid into the chair opposite her. Kurt wasn't really one of Rachel's closest friends, there had been a distinct lack of trust since the harlot incident, but he had been making an effort to be less of his sarcastic, disdainful self as of late.

"So," he asked, his eyes piercing, "why did Mr Allen run off as if he'd seen a ghost?"

She shrugged. "He found out who I was."

He tsk-ed sympathetically. "Boys will be boys," he sighed dramatically. "Dumb, idiotic boys."

"Aren't you a boy yourself?"

"Technically, yes. But I don't classify myself with those...Neanderthals. Running away from Rachel Berry? Plain stupid."

She cracked a smile. "I think he was a little embarrassed. He asked if I was new."

"You are new, a new version of yourself," Kurt said, flashing a smile. "And the new you, Miss Diva, should not let idiots," he sniffed disdainfully, "like Ben Allen to break your spirit."

He walked over to her, and gestured for her to stand. Grinning ruefully, she stood up, slipping her things into her bag, and linked her arm with his.

* * *

Rachel and Kurt walked into the cafeteria together, laughing together, probably for the first time since they'd met. The male diva was much nicer to get along with away from his female counterpart, Mercedes.

Kurt tugged Rachel a little and asked, "Join us?" He gestured discreetly to the Gleeks table, where Artie and Mercedes were sitting. Artie was pensively staring across the room at Tina, who had been invited to Mike's table. Mercedes had her phone in hand and was whipping out texts furiously. She saw Rachel with Kurt and her eyes narrowed.

"Um, no thanks," Rachel said politely. She pushed him towards his friends. "I'll talk to you later, Kurt."

He pranced off gracefully, wiggling his fingers in a dainty wave. Rachel frowned as she looked around the cafeteria. Usually, she stayed in the auditorium for lunch. But now, people had seen her. It would be incredibly embarrassing to leave. Just as she was wondering how to make a quick, unnoticeable escape, she heard Brittany calling out to her.

"Rachel, over here!" Brittany called out. She was sitting at a table with Santana, Mike, Tina, Matt and Puck. Shrugging, Rachel walked over, making sure to walk how Santana and Brittany had taught her to. She felt ridiculous, but it apparently looked pretty impressive. Puck let out a low whistle.

"Looking hot, Berry," he said appreciatively. She rolled her eyes and shoved him playfully.

"Shut up, Puckerman." She sat down beside Brittany, giving her a grateful smile for inviting her over.

"Soooo," Santana drawled, her eyebrows raising comically. "How many guys have asked you out today?"

Rachel blushed. "What do you mean?"

"Please, Rachel. You look smoking. If you were any hotter, _I'd _ask you out. All the boys in this school are probably lusting after you. How many?"

Rachel bit her lip. "Five," she said, unable to hide her grin.

"Wow," Tina breathed. Mike nudged her playfully. She laughed.

Rachel looked at the rest of the group's expressions, resisting the urge to laugh at Matt's dumbfounded expression. Only Puck looked remotely composed. Instead of being shocked or impressed, he looked...pissed.

"You're drooling," he said to Matt, his voice with a hint of anger. Matt shoved him, cursing him under his breath. Rachel noted that the moment Puck had spoken, Santana's shock had disappeared. She now looked calculative, eyeing her ex knowingly.

"That's really great, Rachel," Brittany said happily. "Did you say yes?"

"No way," Rachel said. "They all thought I was new, and ran off when they realized who I was."

Puck scowled. "Idiots," he muttered darkly.

Santana nodded in agreement. "They're just a-holes," she said to Rachel. "And they're not worth it, anyway. I bet they weren't even cute. Who were they?"

Rachel listed off the five names. Immediately, all heads turned to her. Even Mike and Tina turned to look, though they hadn't been paying attention.

"Ben Allen asked you out?" Santana asked, stunned.

"Which one's Ben Allen?" Brittany asked, her expression confused. "Isn't he that little Asian guy?"

"No, he's the smoking-hot basketball player. The one Kacey dated last summer," Santana clarified distractedly. "Damn, Berry, why didn't you say yes? That guy is any girl's fantasy."

Puck glared at Santana. "He's a dick," he retorted.

"He is not," Rachel quickly intervened before they started throwing insults at each other. Santana and Puck were known for their arguments. "And Santana, while he is incredibly handsome," Puck scowled at his food, "he slushied me two weeks ago. Today, he asked if I was new. So, no, I'm not interested."

Santana reluctantly nodded her head; Ben was a jackass, disappointing as it was.

But as she looked up and caught sight of Puck's conflicted expression, a mixture between jealousy and relief, the edges of her mouth tipped up. She had an idea.

**(A/N: So this is my first full-length chapter. Hope you like it. :D)**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**(A/N: Quick shoutout to Sarah (?) who gave me the awesome idea of having Quinn turn Finn down. Thank you!)**

_Something's wrong with me._

Puck was confused, worried and totally freaking the hell out. There _had _to be something wrong with him. There was no other explanation. He could not be thinking _those thoughts _about Rachel Berry.

She was a girl, just another girl in the long list of girls in McKinley Puck sort of had the hots for.

_(Except unlike the others, he didn't have her obeying his every command, or falling over herself to be with him.) _

She was just another Glee club member.

_(One who had a totally freaking awesome makeover and now looked like a goddess.) _

She was just another pretty face, one he'd forget. It was just his hormones. Once he got over her, or under someone else, he'd be done with all these goddamn _emotions. _

His mind was spinning; he hadn't been able to concentrate since lunch. Even when Quinn had come up and started talking to him. Usually, he'd be all over that, she was hot. But today, he'd just nodded blankly, the words fading into the background.

The only thing he'd noticed, and retained, so far, had been Santana's appraising glances. She'd been watching him, ever since _that girl _had left and had shot her a few death glares from time to time. She'd snickered and turned away, only to return her sharp gaze to him after a few minutes. If he didn't know any better, he'd think she was trying to rekindle their romance, but been there, done that, and got the hell out.

Her weird glances sure weren't helping his mind clear, though, so he did what he always did when conflicted. He walked out and sat on the bleachers. The bleachers were calm, and peaceful.

_(They were also the place where that girl had broken up with him.) _

Glaring at the football field moodily, he watched as the Cheerios suffered under Sue Sylvester's strict and tough hands. Santana saw him looking and winked. He turned away, and focused on a brunette cheerleader a few spaces away.

He noticed her wide blue eyes, staring sideways at him, the small smile quirking her lips. He noticed how her eyes would be prettier brown, and her hair better a few shades darker, maybe with some new highlights...

Standing up abruptly, he walked off, trying once again to clear his mind of the thoughts that had been bugging him since lunch; thoughts of Rachel Berry with her hands around another guy, smiling, laughing, kissing the guy. His hands curled into fists as he stalked away from the bleachers.

* * *

"Rachel?" Finn asked wearily, his voice unsure.

Immediately, anger flared up inside her. She turned to Finn complacently, folding her arms across her chest and flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Yes, Finn?" she inquired coldly, her eyes unforgiving.

"Um," he said, putting a hand on the back of his neck to ease some of the tension. "I just wanted to say, you look, uh, really great." He wouldn't meet her eyes, staring at a speck on the floor instead.

Rachel raised an eyebrow at him, his words replaying in her mind. _You're not pretty, stylish or popular. _"That's interesting," she said dryly. "Some people would refer to me as not pretty or stylish."

She watched the emotions play out on his face. Confusion, a little glimpse of regret, then... confidence?

"Do you want to get back together?" he asked; his voice cocky. "I mean, if this is going to stay around," he gestured to her clothes, "I don't mind."

"What about Quinn?" Rachel cursed herself the second the words passed her lips. _I don't care about him, or Quinn, or about their perfect romance or future and the little perfect babies they'll make, _she chanted to herself.

"She turned me down," Finn said, his voice a little embarrassed. His cheeks reddened. "She said I was too immature for her, and that she found a new college boy to date. She actually told me to run back to you, cause she said you really wanted me, which is pretty obvious. The new look, the new hair, it's obvious you want me back, and I'm willing to give it another shot."

Rachel stared at him incredulously. This boy was the single dumbest, most idiotic, oblivious and stubborn boy she had ever met, also possibly the cockiest. "Finn," she said, her voice cool and professional, "I'm not interested in getting back together with you."

Finn looked confused. "But you want to be with me."

"No, I don't."

"Then why the new look? Why the hair, and the short skirt and the new confidence and all that? It's so obviously a try to get my attention. What other reason would you have to look..._nice_?"

She hadn't thought it possible that Finn could hurt her _more, _yet with one innocent question he'd shredded her tattered heart all over again. "Reasons," Rachel said, her voice throbbing, "that don't involve you." The look she gave him, full of anger, resentment and a small brokenness, made him scuttle away, eyes down.

Sighing, she turned to face her locker. She leaned her head against it, trying to will back the tears.

* * *

Puck walked through the empty halls of McKinley. The bell had rung a few minutes ago, signalling the start of a new lesson period, and pretty much everyone had cleared out. He roamed freely though; it was Math. He was on the way to the nurse's office, planning his story to get a nap, when he saw a lone figure standing by the locker he knew so well.

Perfect. He'd just managed to forget her, even for a few minutes, and now she'd popped up in front of him, breaking his no-thinking-about-Rachel strike once more. He was about to sneak past without her realizing, not wanting to get into some conversation with her, where he knew he'd just embarrass himself by acting jealous of her newfound...admiration from the male population, when he noticed how sad she looked.

She was staring blankly at her locker, her expression looking as if someone had kicked her puppy. He wondered whether he should help. The moment he saw the tears glistening in her eyes, he knew he was a goner. He had a weakness for crying women.

"Rachel?" he asked tentatively, stepping closer. He put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. It made a strange jolt of electricity tingle up his arm, but he ignored it. Now was not the time to let his hormones control him. "Are you okay?"

He watched as Rachel composed herself quickly. Her expression became detached and she shrugged his hand off her shoulder. "Of course," she said smoothly, "I'm fine." She tried to wipe her tears away discreetly, while deliberately avoiding his gaze.

Puck didn't exactly know what was wrong, but judging by her tears, he guessed it had to do with Finn. Stupid Finn, as always. He wondered whether Rachel would be devastated or overjoyed if he punched Finn's brains out. He decided against it.

"Rach," he said, stalling for time as he wracked his brain for how to cheer up a clearly emotional girl. His eyes fell on his dirty green truck, parked just outside the school doors. He had an idea. "You wanna get outta here?"

Rachel looked up, surprised. He braced himself for the lecture of epic proportions, on how she could not leave school, it might jeopardize her studies, and hence, her chances at making it on Broadway because all stars should have a backup plan while trying to make it onto the big stage and yada yada yada.

Instead, she smiled slightly, her tears drying. She nodded.

* * *

"Told you," Santana whispered to Brittany.

They were crouched behind her car, peeking over the rim of her hood at Rachel and Puck. He was leading her to his truck, evidently struggling to keep a steady flow of conversation.

With surprise, Santana noted that he was pulling Rachel's bright pink trolley bag behind him. Puck was totally screwed over. "Look, he's pulling her bag."

Brittany's expression was adorably confused. "I don't understand, does this mean they're dating?"

Santana rolled her eyes at her best friend. "No," she said, "but I'm going to make sure they are."

They waited till Puck's green truck had left the parking lot before the two girls piled into Santana's car, snapping on their sunglasses as their means of disguise.

Time to go to work.

**Reviews = Awesome (: **


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **Sorry this chapter took so long, but I was having a total writer's block. Hope this doesn't disappoint and as always, please read and review. 3

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Glee. ):

* * *

Chapter 6

Puck slowly navigated his car out of the school compound, making sure to make eye contact with the security guard, who was an ex-football player for McKinley, and didn't care much about the official school rules. The guard eyed his passenger strangely – it was rare to see Rachel Berry breaking rules – but nodded them through.

"So," Puck said, uncomfortable with the surprisingly mute Rachel. He glanced sideways at her, she was staring out of the window blankly, her lips pressed together in a tight line. Her eyes shone from unshed tears, and her fists were clenched, probably from the effort of keeping the tears in. "Do you wanna, uh, talk?"

He cleared his throat awkwardly, tapping his fingers nervously against the steering wheel. He wasn't really much of a talker, he generally stood at the sidelines, offering the occasional snarky comment. And he had absolutely no idea what to do with an obviously distressed girl. Hell, he'd never even _tried _to cheer someone up, let alone a _girl_ with all their weird emotions and mood swings. Add in the fact that he was having increasingly messed up feelings about this girl; he was totally and completely stumped.

Rachel's sniffled softly. "No, not really."

Puck cringed at the sound of her voice, choked with emotion. Rachel Berry never cried, she was always the stoic, calm one who took everything anyone threw at her, from slushies to the scathing comments, in her stride. He had no idea what to think of this new weak, vulnerable Rachel. "Okay."

Silence enveloped the car again. He didn't even know where he was going; just that Rachel obviously needed to get far, far away from McKinley and all the people inside it. "Do you have anywhere you wanna go?"

Rachel shook her head, tears streaming silently down her face, but when she replied, her voice was stronger. "Take me wherever, Puck."

He flinched at the nickname; Rachel only called him Puck when she was either pissed or depressed. He didn't even think of how pathetic it was that he remembered what Rachel called him at different times, he just reached out for her hand, holding it in his loosely. She paused her silent sniffles for a moment, staring at their intertwined hands apprehensively. Slowly, she relaxed and her fingers gave the slightest pressure back.

* * *

"Where are we going?"

Santana rolled her eyes. Brittany had asked that question seven times already, and they'd only just left the school. Though Santana loved Brittany dearly (in more ways than one), she had to admit the blonde was exceptionally ditzy.

"We're following Puck and Rachel, remember?"

Her voice was bored and edged with irritation. She wished she had Quinn at her back, though Quinn never really clicked with Santana as Brittany did; Quinn was always up to speed with her plans, having the same scheming, evil mind as Santana did. Brittany was much slower on the uptake.

But Quinn was busy, as usual. Since the baby, Quinn had distanced herself from Santana and Brittany, still bitter over them dumping her when she was booted off the Cheerios and leaving her defenceless. After giving up the baby for adoption, she'd gotten involved with some college dude, and forgot completely about her two ex-best-friends.

Brittany seemed less affected by Quinn's sudden new life, as adorably unobservant and naive as ever. Santana glanced over at her – she was trying frantically to knock at an ant on the other side of the car window, her brow crinkled in frustration – and smiled wryly. _Brittany will be Brittany. _

"I'm hungry." Brittany had stopped knocking at the glass, now glaring at the ant sullenly. She looked over at her best friend hopefully. "Can we go to McDonalds?"

Santana looked away from the faint outline of the rumbling green truck they were following to stare at Brittany incredulously. "I'm on a no-carb diet, Britt, and so are you. Remember what Coach Sylvester said? No fast food, not until Nationals."

"But Nationals is _next year, _Santana. And Coach won't know!" Brittany clapped her hands together excitedly. Santana still looked unimpressed. "Please, Santana? _Please?" _she begged, widening her eyes imploringly.

Santana sighed, glaring at the truck ahead. She hated it when Brittany begged; she could never resist the plea in her best friend's voice. When Brittany reached a hand out and gently touched Santana's arm, sending shivers of warmth through her body, she conceded defeat.

* * *

Rachel had never really held a guy's hand before. For choreography and stuff, she'd held Finn's hand, but since the breakup, she'd realized small little things about their relationship, like the fact that Finn never, ever displayed any form of emotion for her in public and was rarely sentimental with her, even when they were alone together.

They'd kissed and made out on various occasions, but he had never really taken the trouble of a small, simple yet sentimental gesture such as holding hands. She looked down at Puck's hand, his fingers intertwined with hers. His hand was warm and rough, his fingers calloused, and the pressure of his fingers was calming, reassuring. It felt nice.

Her eyes flickered to the boy beside her as she blinked away her tears. He seemed...different somehow, away from school. His face was clear of the usual moody scowl etched across it, and his eyes, bright hazel, were not mocking her or filled with loathing. Instead, they were concerned, fixed on the road ahead of them. She found herself attracted to this new Puck – Noah – who had actually taken the time to help her out, even offering to talk, despite the fact that she knew he was...uncomfortable with emotions, especially girl ones.

She was so transfixed in studying his face and comparing the boy beside her to the boy she knew and loathed so well, that she didn't notice he'd stopped the car, and had turned to face her. Their eyes locked for a moment, and she felt the air around them electrify, before he blinked and looked away. She flushed red with embarrassment, and looked out to see the truck had stopped beside a park, nearly deserted, save for two children who were happily building a sandcastle in the playground while their mother watched from a bench nearby.

"What are we doing here?" she asked carefully, concealing her mortification at being caught staring at Noah Puckerman, of all people.

He shrugged. "The truck's running out of gas, and this place is pretty much as far away from McKinley as you can get, without leaving Lima itself." He pushed open the truck door roughly and threw a grin over his shoulder. "You coming?"

Rachel considered it a moment, a small smile creeping onto her face. She struggled to get out of the truck, while Puck stood there on the pavement, smirking lazily. Once she had managed to clamber her way down, he set off down a winding pebblestone path, trusting her to follow him like a trained dog.

She rolled her eyes but followed him, already feeling happier.

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	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: **So now that I've gotten over my writer's block, the chapters will come faster. (: Also, thanks for all the reviews! If you have any suggestions for how the story should go along, please leave them with a review. :D

**Shoutout: **To _**sinnerxo**_, I know, the chapters are reallyyy short, but that's why I post them faster. I hope that makes up for the shorter length.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Glee. ):

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Chapter 7 

Rachel followed Puck further into the park, surprised by his familiarity with the area. She herself had never been anywhere near her, her house was central Lima and she rarely travelled out. The area here wasn't as posh as her upscale neighborhood, but it was quaint, with neatly terraced houses and the park was perfectly maintained. The pebble-stone path they were walking along was the entrance to the park, and split into a wide circle, like a running lap.

Puck had slowed down and now walked leisurely beside Rachel. As they reached the fork in the path, she felt the warmth of his hand on her back as he nudged her left. She smiled, feeling surprisingly at ease with this boy who had once tortured her. Her tears had dried, and she now felt like her usual, bubbly, happy self, the self she had been before Finn had entered with his unintentionally hurtful words.

In the back of her mind, she wondered whether Santana and Brittany were looking for her. They'd probably be worried. It was so new to her, the feeling of having friends who cared about her well-being, people who'd notice if she suddenly went missing from school. She reminded herself to text Santana later. (Brittany's phone was always lost.)

She looked around, brushing thoughts of her two new friends aside. Puck had led her to...a playground?

"What are we doing here?" Her eyebrows rose as she scanned the playground. The two children she'd seen from the park's entrance had finished building their sandcastle and were now taking turns sliding down the plastic blue slide, shrieking happily.

Puck grunted. "I used to come here when I was troubled." He removed his hand from the small of her back. "When I was younger," he tacked on as an afterthought. His eyes clouded, his mouth curving into a scowl as past memories flashed in his mind. He shrugged them off and walked over to the swings. Glancing back at Rachel, he cocked an eyebrow and grinned.

Rachel eyed him skeptically. "You brought me out here to _play on the swings?_"

"Yup." He motioned her over and once she was close enough, pulled her down into one of the swings. She squealed in protest, but he pushed her off, chuckling lightly.

"This is childish and immature," she said, but she allowed herself to relax, reveling in the feel of the wind against her face. He was now perched on the other swing, swinging beside her. "I can't believe you skip school to do _this_."

"Hey, don't judge, Berry. It's this or sleeping in the nurse's office. And you think I wanted to sleep in school with Mr Schuester's freaky wife watching me?"

She frowned at the mention of Mrs Schuester. The Vitamin D experience was one she never wanted to go through again. "Fair point," she conceded, smiling. "So how'd you find this place?"

Puck thought carefully before answering. "My dad used to bring me here, before he took off," he replied finally. "After he left, I started coming here. At first, I hoped he'd come here, see me and come back home. I realized how stupid that was years ago, but this place…s'cool. No one ever comes here, cause all the people living around here are too busy working, and it's a good place to, y'know, think."

Rachel feigned mock horror. "The Neanderthal _thinks_? And here I thought you were just another empty-headed package of muscle."

She watched as he tried to suppress a smile. He settled for a smirk. "Whatever, Berry, I know you totally love the guns."

Rachel laughed, and Puck frowned. The sound of her laugh did strange things to him. He needed to get ahold of himself. _Cougars and cheerios, _he reminded himself. He would not get caught up with the likes of Rachel Berry. _Besides, she's in love with Finn. _He looked over at her, at her new hair and new clothes. _It's all for Finn._

"So what's with the new look?" The question had been bugging him all day, since she'd walked in and stunned everyone.

Rachel smiled and batted her eyelashes at him playfully. "You like?"

"Are you kidding? Any guy would be stupid _not _to like."

The smile left Rachel's face, as Finn's earlier words floated through her mind. _You're not pretty. What other reason would you have to look…nice? _

He frowned as he registered the change in her mood. "What's wrong?"

She was silent, barely swinging anymore, just sitting still and staring at her lap morosely, as she fought with the emotions broiling inside her. He stopped swinging too, and reached a hand out to her. "Rachel?"

"Do you think I'm pretty?" She blurted out the question before her mind could register what she was saying. Immediately, her eyes shot wide. She did not just ask Noah Puckerman _that. _Just because he'd been vaguely nice to her lately, and had offered to bring her out here, he was still _Puck_, torturer of the weak and ugly.

She braced herself for the harsh words she knew was to come. He'd mock her, insult her, and then probably leave her here, stranded. It was the way things went. Her relationship with Puck was shaky at best, and a loaded question like that could only bring hurt.

"No."

And there it was. Exactly what she'd expected. He didn't care about her; she'd been stupid to think that, and she was still disgusting, ugly and annoying Rachel Berry who made him want to set himself on fire.

"I think you're beautiful."

The words pierced through Rachel's embarrassment. She looked up, stunned, to see him smiling slightly, right beside her. His eyes were green, clear and honest, and he didn't look deceiving or mocking. Their eyes locked; she couldn't seem to look away from that intense gaze. She leaned closer, feeling his warm breath brush across her face. Their lips were only a fingers breadth apart now.

Rachel's phone suddenly blared loudly, breaking the moment. Immediately, both Puck and Rachel leaned back, sitting straight in their swings. Puck looked away as Rachel fished in her bag for her phone. The words "New Message: Santana" were flashing across the screen.

She opened the message; it was Santana asking where she was. She cursed herself; she'd forgotten to text Santana earlier. And now she'd completely ruined that _moment _between her and N- Puck.

"It's Santana," she said, her voice sounding breathy and strange. "She's wondering where I am."

Puck looked back at her, his face unreadable. His eyes were dark and stormy. "I, uh, guess we'd better go."

He got up quickly and started walking back to the car. She hastened to follow him.

* * *

Santana glared at the dashboard stonily as she pulled her car into the parking lot.

After stopping at McDonalds, at Brittany's request, they'd completely lost Puck and Rachel. She'd circled the area countless times and checked both of their houses, but Puck's dirty green truck was nowhere to be seen. It was infuriating.

Eventually, she had had to text Rachel, asking where she was. Today had been a disaster.

"Sorry." Brittany's voice was meek and apologetic. "It's my fault we lost them."

Santana scoffed internally. _Of course it is. _But when she looked over at Brittany, who looked so lost and sad beside her, she shoved down the words. "It's fine, Britt," she replied, struggling to make her voice even. "I'm sure nothing interesting happened anyway."

Brittany still looked upset, but Santana wasn't really in the comforting mood. She parked her car exactly where she'd parked it last; and the two girls got out of the car. Their plan was to wait just inside the doors of the school, until the bell rang.

They stood there, until they spied the truck driving in. She could see Puck and Rachel inside, and noticed with a frown, that they seemed to be leaning away from each other. Obviously _something_ had happened. And judging by their awkward expressions, it couldn't have been good.

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The ride back to McKinley was awkward, to say the least. Neither Puck nor Rachel spoke a single word, as the truck slowly made its way back to the school building.

Puck could think of about a million things to say, but he rejected each one of them. He could make a joke of it, taunt her about wanting him too much, but it might hurt her feelings. He could try and kiss her again, but they'd only just started being acquaintances, if that, and he didn't want to ruin everything. And she was clearly still pining over Finn; he didn't want to get caught up in that mess.

He parked the car, the silence still ringing in his ears. "We'd better wait here, till school lets out. It'd be suspicious for us to go in now."

She nodded. "Okay."

Puck cast his eyes over the rest of the parking lot. He noticed with mild interest that Santana's car was releasing a thin plume of pale smoke, as if the engine had only recently stopped running. His eyebrow quirked; something was up. His eyes then settled on two shadowy figures right behind the doors of McKinley. He caught a flash of red, Cheerio red, and a frown appeared on his face.

He was about to mention it to Rachel, to say _something _to break the unbearable silence in the car, when the bell rang. Within seconds, students were streaming out of the door. Rachel pushed open the door to the truck as quickly as she could, glancing over her shoulder shyly at Puck.

"Um, thanks for this, Puck," she said quietly. She thought about it a moment, face clearly conflicted, before leaning over and kissing his cheek lightly. She pretended not to notice how his posture stiffened at the feel of her lips on his body.

Before he could move, or even say anything in reply, she had slipped out of the car, grabbed her bag from the back, and was halfway across the parking lot. The back of her neck was bright red.

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**Author's Note: **As an add-on, I also don't know anything at all about cars, so I'm not exactly sure if they release smoke after the engines switch off. I _think_ they do.

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